Persuasive Essay On Prescription Drugs

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Recommended: Negative effects of marketing advertisements on consumer behavior

The issue over allowing prescription drug medication to be advertised has been debated for over three hundred years. Marketing prescription drugs through the media is dangerous and should be banned because they can cause uneducated consumers to ask for drugs that are not appropriate for them, doctors alone should be able to prescribe for their patients. Marketers for medications try going directly to the consumer, although a healthcare professional or doctor should be prescribing a patient 's medication. Due to the advertisement of medication many consumers are left uneducated about a drug and it’s purpose, patients are telling their doctor what they think is best for them and not the other way around. When the dangers of smoking and tobacco …show more content…

Drugs for eyelash extensions, nail growing, and hair growth, are examples of prescription medications that are not necessary. Advertisements can misinform consumers and lead to patients receiving drugs that are doing more harm to their body then benefit because they are unaware of the side effects. Medication is not something to mess around with, a TV screen does not know what is best for an individual. Trying to convince an audience that they need certain drugs that can alter their life should not be allowed. “It is the age of consumerism. It convinces consumers that they need drugs that they might not need, that they need some drugs at all.” said Marcia Angell former editor and chief of The New England Journal of Medicine. Advertisement of medication has been ban in every country except America and New Zealand with the exception of Canada which allows drug advertisements only as reminders. 5% of the world 's population lives within the United states, yet it accounts for 42% of global prescription drug spending. “Advertisement to the general public should… not generally be permitted for prescription drugs.” was a statement released by the World Health Organization. There is a reason it has been ban in almost all other countries, and America hasn’t followed. Although the publication of the advertisements has helped to remove the stigma …show more content…

Prescription drug advertisement is not enjoyed by anyone. It misinforms patients, weakens relationships between patients and their doctors, and has increased health care costs. Prescription drug marketing has proven to get more people to consult a doctor about their medical condition, but there is a stronger negative effect if the advertisements are not ban. A commercial doesn’t know a consumer 's medical history, and cannot give a personal recommendation for a medication. Prescription drugs are not something to play around with and should not be looked at as something to sell and make money off of. Medication company 's main focus should be on treating a patient and not how to make money off of

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